Posts by Guest Blogger

The “Catcall for What?” music video was sparked by a group of young women of colour sharing their experiences of being harassed on the street. In this video, young women of colour reframe sexual harassment: the perpetrators of catcalling are no longer the focal point of the story; rather, it’s the strong women who are taking a stand and adding some fun to it (with stuffed cats) who really tell the story. READ MORE

First things first, let’s talk about your style choices. This little phase will be thankfully short-lived, but I still need to make clear that fluorescent orange is a colour you wear when you’re hiking in the woods so that a hunter doesn’t mistake you for wild game. It is not fashionable! READ MORE

by Dorota Jędrzejewska
Their voices are being heard more clearly. They are not afraid to come out and fight on the streets: with the state, with the police, with anyone. They shout “OUT OF MY COUNTRY,” “NO QUEERS” and “YES FOR NATIONALISM.” Who are they? Why does nationalist ideology attract young people in Poland these days?
Nationalism, according to Wikipedia , is a “belief, creed or political ideology that involves an individual identifying with, or becoming … READ MORE

by Oyeyinka Oyelowo
There is a camaraderie in tragedy that bonds the guests of Abuse Survival Stories at each meeting. Founder Reesee Ziggazagga weaves between the audience offering sweet embraces, loving words and a welcoming smile to each person, forming an aura of comfort and friendliness despite the event’s focus on surviving traumatic events. Abuse Survival Stories is a nonprofit event series that features raw testimonials from survivors of domestic violence, psychological and sexual abuse.
The event … READ MORE

By Rosella Chibambo
I have always been into theatre, and in my second year of university, auditioned for a play–something by Shakespeare. I didn’t get the part.
A couple months later, desperate to get back on stage, I auditioned for another play and got the part; everyone who auditioned got a part.
This play was a far cry from Shakespeare. It was Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, and it changed my life.
After my first year as a “Vagina … READ MORE

Editor’s note: This is the final entry in the series. Look for the Love and Relationships issue on newsstands in January! We hope you love it.
If you like what you’re reading, don’t forget to subscribe - we’re having a holiday sale!
by T. Sunday
My mother’s mental health reached a low I’d never seen before when I was in high school. Eventually, I was made to leave home, which was difficult but, in retrospect, I see that … READ MORE

Editor’s note: To get you excited for the upcoming winter issue of Shameless, we are posting a series of blog posts every Friday on the theme of love and relationships. What does love mean? Who are our relationships with? What kinds of love are there? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Look for the new issue on newsstands in January!
If you like what you’re reading, don’t forget to subscribe - we’re having a … READ MORE

[TW!] This post contains links to fitspo imagery.
This piece originally appeared on Fat Girl Food Squad.
by Siobhan Ozege
It’s hard out here for a woman, regardless of your size. As a bigger girl, it seems like everywhere I turn I’m getting fat shamed by magazines, advertisements, television programs, and hate groups like Return of Kings (a men’s rights group who recently ran a Twitter campaign called #FatShamingWeek). On every platform, someone’s telling me that I need … READ MORE

by Vanessa Ciccone
At an event put on by the Canadian Women’s Foundation in Calgary last month, Geena Davis stated, “The more hours of TV a girl watches, the less opportunities she thinks she has. For a boy, the more sexist his views become.”
In 2004 Davis founded the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media to shift female portrayals and gendered stereotypes in children’s entertainment. The Institute conducts research and offers training to alter how women … READ MORE

Editor’s note: To get you excited for the upcoming winter issue of Shameless, we are posting a series of blog posts every Friday on the theme of love and relationships. What does love mean? Who are our relationships with? What kinds of love are there? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Look for the new issue on newsstands in January!
If you like what you’re reading, don’t forget to subscribe!
I hadn’t seen Mary in … READ MORE

In the coming weeks, we will be featuring cross-posted and original content from, about and inspired by this special book, edited by our very own editorial and art director, Sheila Sampath. Read on!READ MORE

Editor’s note: To get you excited for the upcoming winter issue of Shameless, we are posting a series of blog posts every Friday on the theme of love and relationships. What does love mean? Who are our relationships with? What kinds of love are there? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Look for the new issue on newsstands in January!
If you like what you’re reading, don’t forget to subscribe!
by Allison Maxwell
I was one … READ MORE

If you’re new to this series, start here.
by Jenny Blaser
“Welcome back! How did it go?” Heather bounces into the room and I am reminded this is the start of a 4-day string of night shifts for her. Tonight she is wearing hot pink scrubs and her hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail. She has her staple blinding white runners on and her disingenuous smile is stuck on autopilot as per usual. She is … READ MORE

by Jessie Hale
Dating is hard. In those first early days of romance, when you’re finding out everything there is to know about your new partner, you can be filled with giddiness one moment (they love TNG, too!) and horror the next (how can someone “hate” cats?!).
And what happens when you find out the potential love of your life already has an important relationship in their life – with their kid?
When I was 25, I didn’t … READ MORE

If you’re new to this series, start here.
by Jenny Blaser
“Jenny! You are upright and in your chair!” The nurse at my family doctor’s office is excited to greet me and see me functioning a bit letter than the last time we saw one another - when I was twitching about on the floor of this office.
“Yup, still not back to 100% … I can’t really use my left arm - I named it Scottie - … READ MORE

by Maranda Elizabeth
I started writing before I knew how to write. When our mom had to go to work but couldn’t afford to have someone take care of us, she’d bring my twin and I to the office with her, and give us blank paper and pens to keep us amused. We’d hang out in the waiting room, scribbling our idea of cursive, sending each other unintelligible short stories and workplace documents with fancy signatures … READ MORE

If you’re new to this series, start here.
by Jenny Blaser
“I can’t believe they won’t give me a day pass!” I am laying on my side, with Andrea stretching my left leg. She is my private physiotherapist, but she has been coming to the hospital to do my regular stretching routine.
“Why won’t they give you one?” She shifts my leg to a different position to stretch a different muscle.
“I don’t know - Alice, the nurse, said … READ MORE

by Maria Arseniuk
Chances are youx02BCve either seen, heard, or read about the Netflix phenomenon Orange is the New Black (OITNB). If you have, and are currently basking in the glory of inclusive awesomeness that is OINTB read on; if you havenx02BCt then stay tuned - shitx02BCs about to get real.
Herex02BCs the deal: OITNB is subversive to the normative cultural representations of popular culture depictions of femininity, incarceration, heteronomativity and power. Get comfortable because there is … READ MORE

If you’re new to this series, start here.
by Jenny Blaser
“I-c-e-d t-e-a l-e-m-o-n-a-d-e u-n-s-w-e-e-t-e-n-e-d” I am whispering each letter to myself as I cradle my iPhone in the crook of my left elbow and poke at the screen with my right pointer finger. I glance up to see what Amanda is doing. She has been with me since last night and we are just waiting for the next person on my care team … READ MORE